Chana Masala Recipe
I have used chickpeas soaked overnight in water. You can also use canned chickpeas if you want.
Servings Prep Time
4 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1hour 8 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1hour 8 hours
Ingredients
For Chana Masala
For dry spices
Instructions
For Dry Spices
  1. Slightly roast all the whole spices on medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan.
  2. Grind all the spices in a grinder till fine powder is formed.
  3. If made extra, store in an airtight container.
For Chana Masala
  1. Soak chana in water at least for eight hours. Quantity of water should be three to four times, as chana expands on soaking. Add some salt in this water. If you do not have this much of time, soak these in warm water with some soda bicarb for at least half an hour.
  2. Add teabags in soaked chana, and boil in a pressure cooker. Tea bags helps in changing the color of chana to blackish brown. Once the pressure is made, lower the heat, and boil for half an hour. If you had not soaked the chana, add sufficient water, and teabags, and boil for about 1 hour.
  3. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Then add onion, and saute till it is softened. Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies. After 2 minutes, add chopped tomatoes, and saute till it is softened. Now add dry spices, and saute for two minutes.
  4. Remove teabags from boiled chana, and check whether the chana is properly cooked. It should be soft on pressing with fingers, and there should be no bite in it. Take out two table spoons of chana, and keep aside. Add rest of the chana along with water to the sauteed spices, and let it simmer. Using a masher, or table spoon, mash the chana, that you had kept aside, and add it to the rest of the chana.
  5. Now is the time to taste and check the consistency. The dish should be thick, with no watery gravy. Add salt, spices, or water, if needed. Cover and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Remove from gas, and garnish with ginger julienne, and fresh green coriander leaves (cilantro). Serve hot with chopped onion and pickles (suggestion)
Recipe Notes
  • If you are using canned chickpeas, skip steps 1 and 2. Add tea bags to canned chickpeas, and allow them to rest, and start with step 3.
  • You can make dry spice mix in advance. Also, you can increase the quantity, and store it in an airtight container to be used later. This can be used in various curries or dal preparations.
  • If you do not get dry pomegranate seeds, increase the quantity of amchoor (dry mango) powder. You can also use lemon juice or tamarind paste instead.

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